Bokeh [not to be mistaken with bukkake]

I found a tutorial and boy are you guys in luck! Have you seen those lens flare photos? The ones where the whole pic is covered in lit up circles. Well, I just learned how to do that! XD

Here are some 1280 x 1024 desktop backgrounds for your enjoyment.

This one’s a little more holidayesque…

Just click on the one you want, right click the picture that loads and select “set as desktop background”. That’s it! Super easy, huh? Happy holidays!

Busyness

Have you checked out my flickr lately? I’ve been crazy busy. I will be posting some Saturday spotlights when I get the questionnaires back, but will probably be neglecting this blog for the next few weeks. I’ll be back after the new year with tons of stuff to write about and tons of stuff to show you. I will be posting a new soap recipe at the end of the year, so look out for that too.

I’ve been neglecting my blog roll too. Yes, I am subscribed to my own blog. It’s so I can see what you see in syndication.

Here’s a peek at what I’ve been up to for the past week and why I’ll be busy getting ready for the new year.

And…

Don’t Hesitate, Simply Create

What color is this? ‘Cause it’s two different colors on my monitors. The monitor I designed it on is a dusty olive and the other monitor is a brighter olive. What color is it on your monitor?

This desktop background is free to download and use. Click to view the full size image. Then right click and ’save as’ to your desired location. This image is 1280 x 1024, but will re-size in current versions of windows if your resolution is smaller. Just make sure “fit to screen” is checked in the background dialog box.

Two more versions for you to choose from…

Wood Grain

Cloudy Sky

Layering Text

I found a designer the other day that inspired this with her layered text. Hers was cleaner. I went kinda overboard.

JD = Juniper Drive

XD

Evolution of Brooklyne

I started selling online in 2007. I stayed on Etsy for over 6 months. I listed regularly, I frequented the forums and I knew nothing of promoting, but that wasn’t as big an issue back then. You weren’t buried in all the people wanting a piece of the Etsy pie. What you were looking for was relatively easier to find in ‘07 than now. So, after 6 months and selling 3 of my items [2 of which were to the person who modeled the lips on the logo, so they don't count], I decided the online business wasn’t for me.

I have always been more successful selling my stuff in shops locally. People tend to fall in love with my wares and buy it all up. Okay, that was a little exaggeration, but compared to online sales, I have to fight local shops off with a stick. You get my point.

I came back to online business when I moved to a different town. I figured starting fresh and now being more stable, I’ll have more time to devote to production and promotion. I have promoted my little fingers off on twitter, flickr, etsy, artfire, indiepublic, commenting on blogs, facebook, myspace and making sure the link to my shop is on every profile. Still, I technically have had 1 sale of my crafts, 4 sales of my digital art and 7 sales of my destash items. 12 sales in 9 months in 4 different shops.

So, last month I move everything to one shop. If I’m only getting a few sales in each shop, I may as well just combine everything under one roof… this is my reasoning. I don’t see how not being consistent after 6 months of nothing would cause an issue, but there’s a nagging voice in the back of my head that says otherwise.

I feel like the only things I can bring out of this experience are the great blogs I’ve found, the good friends I talk to daily and the personal development and character that being ignored and undervalued can bring. I am not sure what the next couple months will bring. I have 67 items in my Artfire shop and listing more will only add to the craziness of that shop. I’m working out some things that will change my direction a bit. The snowball effect will be my online presence, including how often I post in this blog. I hope my regular readers will support me whatever I do.

Also, if you have any tips, I’d love to hear them. I know I’m not alone in this and any help given me in this public forum can also help someone else. Thanks.

Fabulous Friday Poll

Thanks for your feedback.

December Goals

November seemed to eek by, then it’d sprint, then it’d slow to a crawl, then sprint again. Am I the only one that noticed that? O_o The items in brown were added during the month.

My business goals for November were:

1. Email my photographer friend about the urban images.
2. Organize craft area. Organized but not clean. XD
3. Make a few more zipper pouches, try a holiday theme.
4. Have a plan ready for the holiday season.
5. Make AIW tea towels.
6. Take pictures of brooches and patches for Juniper Drive shop. Done and they look amazing!
7. Create banners for Lindstar shop, my friends shop and winners of todays drawing. Yay! Finished!
8. Embroider some of the designs I made and photograph them.
9. Get Juniper Drive ready for Nov 20th grand opening! Etsy has become too expensive for the lack of sales. I found myself purposely not listing items, because what was in my shop wasn’t selling. So I moved to Artfire and flat fees with better features.
10. Optimize tags and headings in all shops. Irrelevant but done.
11. Remove cards and jewelry from shop and find somewhere local to sell them. For sale at Bella Luna on 6th in Bremerton.
12. Streamline Juniper Drive on Etsy. Selling just the embroidery patterns on Etsy now.
13. Add some more items to Brooklyne Chaos destashery. Shop will be closed and account deleted next month. All destash items available in my Artfire shop.
14. Spend consistent time in Illustrator and Photoshop.
15. Draw often!
16. Embroider a follow the white bunny pattern and post images to flickr.
17. Make thank you cards and share them with friends.
18. Make presents.

My goals for December are:

1. Finalize blog design.
2. Make presents. <– Started!
3. Assess advertising costs and benefits.
4. Draw more!
5. Close Brooklyne Chaos shop.
6. Implement plan for holiday season.
7. Drape the clutch I was commissioned to do.
8. Sew some samples before making the final bag.
9. Make a few more zipper pouches, try a holiday theme.
10. Finish the embroidered buttons and list them.
11. Make AIW tea towels.
12. Embroider some of the designs I made and photograph them.
13. Stop listing designs without embroidering them first!
14. Create whenever possible. I have two possible shows next year – one in the summer and one in the fall.
15. Make two more pomegranate brooches. Have beads, will embroider!
16. Create a new look for the Artfire shop. The banner and avi are cute, they just don’t fit my logo.
17. Unify the look across facebook, twitter, artfire, indiepublic and etsy.

Okay, so there are some general goals mixed in with some very specific goals, as usual. I just hope to get more than 50% done this month. Doing better than 50% last month gives me hope for this month.

Modish Biz Tips
Monthly Goal Meetup – December

Graphics copyright 2009 Lindstar Graphics, Juniper Drive and Brooklyne Chaos. All Rights reserved. Use prohibited unless with written permission.

Satisfaction

I was avoiding and stressing about making these gifts that are going in the mail tomorrow. Over half the package was finished, there was just something missing. I totally knew what it was, I just dreaded making them. You see, I have a fear of failure AND a fear of success. I am afraid of being a flop AND not living up to others expectations. They balance each other out to keep me paralyzed a good part of the time.

To get around this, because Brooklyne is not a lazy girl, I tend to do a lot of self talk to get projects out of my head. I love designing. I love creating. But formulating an idea and tending to it to make it look, feel and represent the way I imagined it, is a tall order. I think this same issue is why I don’t stick to one craft for very long. Check out my history page, it speaks volumes, even if it’s not finished.

So, today, while avoiding making the gifts, I decided to try an idea for a craft show coming this summer. If it didn’t work, I’d put the idea away and think of something else. The thing is, it worked! It totally worked. The items came out amazing and I’ll probably be making a bunch more. Not sure about listing them online, as my artfire shop doesn’t get much play and Etsy is too expensive for someone who doesn’t have sales. I digress.

Oh, and I finished the gifts. I finally kicked my own arse and finished them. They turned out like something I’ve never made before. Eh, being lopsided is cute. I refuse to fret over these. I’ve seen worse. Now onto the rest of the gifts for the family.

Wash Yo’self

I made soap, lip balm, sugar scrub, bath salts and bath fizzies for 3 years before moving on to other crafts. So, when my friends came to me with a request to have craft time, I jumped at the chance to show them how easy melt and pour soap is. We were making the soap for prezzies. I realized that I had some really good recipes that are currently collecting dust.

This is not a how to, but a recipe for melt and pour soap. I will eventually submit all my personally developed recipes, so you’re gonna have to stay tuned to get them all. There’s a lot!

Tiare Silk

Ingredients: Coconut Oil Base, Tiare Coconut Oil, Beeswax, Castor Oil, Cocoa Butter, Glycerin

Per 1lb Coconut M&P:

• 4T Tiare Coconut Oil
• 1T Beeswax
• 1T Castor Oil
• 1T Cocoa Butter
• 1T Glycerin

Tiare is a Tahitian Gardenia. They smell amazing and are not too offensive in high amounts. It’s a scent that lingers but dissipates well. Most people loved it when I made it.

All additives are chosen for their response to the skin. Adding castor oil to your melt and pour is a great way to make it sudsier and soften the skin. Glycerin is added to increase the cleaning properties and as a skin softener. Beeswax acts as a thickening agent because of all the oils that are added. Cocoa butter is also great for the skin and doubles as a thickening agent. If allergic to beeswax or turned off by animal products, you can substitute the beeswax for cocoa butter or shea butter. Just use the same amount.

If you have any questions, post them in the comments. I will be happy to answer them. Thanks. Happy soaping!

Brooches

een busy making brooches for the holiday season. I love the acorns, pumpkins, oak leaves and flowers, but nothing tops the pomegranate. I used felt, yarn and fabric covered buttons to make these lovely brooches; I added garnet beads to the felt pom to make the juicy seeds. I even have the oak leaf pattern available in my shop so that you can make your own oak leaf brooch, applique or embroidery. There’s even three adorable little acorns to go with your leaves.

I love the way a brooch can dress up a plain coat or dress. They can even make a t-shirt look dressy. Sometimes you can even put them on a bag to add a little visual interest. How beautiful would a handmade brooch be on that amazing little black dress?

My favorite brooch ingredients are wool, bamboo, acrylic novelty or cotton yarn, semi-precious stone beads, glass beads, eco felt, wool felt, covered buttons, vintage fabrics, vintage buttons, lace, ribbon, embroidery floss, metallic thread and love. I like to incorporate new things in my brooches, truly making them one of a kind. Though some of the felt ones can always be remade, I try to make each one special.